Nova still on Top?

[GumbyDamnit!]

Kyky previews what Xavier will do to Nova and the rest of the league this year

National Rankings:

16. JRE - Nova
17. Antoine - Nova
57. J. Moore - Nova
62. Romeo W. - DePaul
67. Greg Gantt - PC
71. E. Dixon - Nova
75. S. Torrence - MU
Yada
Yada
Yada
89. K-Y Tandy

But according to X fans he's the 2nd coming of Kyrie I. He's not. He's a little guy that could be a pretty good player or he could prove to be physically over-matched.

[MUBoxer]

By definition the BE Regular Season Championship is reserved for the best team in the league, greatly enhanced by the round robin format. Obviously any team can win the BET if the stars align. Best to leave nothing to doubt by winning both.

That's why the Tampa Bay Lightning have been parading the Presidents' Trophy around all summer, right? Best team in the league! I'm sure not one player on that team would trade their season for that of the St. Louis Blues...

Does any other sport that uses a playoff system even give anything to their regular season champion?

You could argue winning the EPL is bigger than the FA Cup

[Hall2012]

By definition the BE Regular Season Championship is reserved for the best team in the league, greatly enhanced by the round robin format. Obviously any team can win the BET if the stars align. Best to leave nothing to doubt by winning both.

That's why the Tampa Bay Lightning have been parading the Presidents' Trophy around all summer, right? Best team in the league! I'm sure not one player on that team would trade their season for that of the St. Louis Blues...

Does any other sport that uses a playoff system even give anything to their regular season champion?

Now obviously, having the NCAA Tournament gives neither the regular season nor the BET the same finality as a pro league playoff, but the BET truly is the end of the Big East season that finishes with only 1 team left standing. The regular season doesn't have that. There's also the history of the tournament and the MSG stage that add to the prestige of the Big East Tournament. Having followed the Big East for years, I can't ever remember particularly caring who won the regular season title.

[fellahmuskie]

I'm surprised Xavier seems like the only fanbase in the league with any ambition to dethrone Nova. Maybe that will change with UConn, but why is everyone else so scared?

[Hall2012]

By definition the BE Regular Season Championship is reserved for the best team in the league, greatly enhanced by the round robin format. Obviously any team can win the BET if the stars align. Best to leave nothing to doubt by winning both.

That's why the Tampa Bay Lightning have been parading the Presidents' Trophy around all summer, right? Best team in the league! I'm sure not one player on that team would trade their season for that of the St. Louis Blues...

Does any other sport that uses a playoff system even give anything to their regular season champion?

You could argue winning the EPL is bigger than the FA Cup

The FA Cup isn't a post-season playoff though. It's a totally separate competition that many teams see as a nuisance due to running in the middle of the regular season and don't field full-strength teams until the late rounds as a result. Plus the benefits of prioritizing the EPL are astronomically higher. The prize money for the EPL Champion is roughly 10x that of the FA Cup Champion and, of course, league positioning is what determines those coveted Champions League places.

If there was a Champions League place reserved for the FA Cup winner, perhaps you'll see its prestige rise. If all 4 places were determined exclusively by the FA Cup, the priority of the two competitions wouId flip. I could say the same about an NCAA Tournament auto-bid for the BE regular season champion, but in reality that team would be all but assured of an at-large so it wouldn't actually do much in our league.

[scoscox]

He's a little guy that could be a pretty good player or he could prove to be physically over-matched.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBunnM8wWbU

"he could prove to be physically overmatched"

[Hall2012]

I'm surprised Xavier seems like the only fanbase in the league with any ambition to dethrone Nova. Maybe that will change with UConn, but why is everyone else so scared?

I don't agree with that, everyone would love to dethrone Nova. We're just not running our mouths as if we've already done it.

I'd (both biased and honest) say that Seton Hall has the best claim to challenge Nova for the title of preseason favorite, but the SHU board is pretty split on that. Some posters are extremely confident like the Xavier fans on here, but others are a bit more cautious citing that Jay Wright shouldn't be doubted and what while Willard has done a fantastic job blowing out low expectations, he's struggled so far to live up to higher ones.

It should be competitive at the top, with SHU and X among others having realistic a realistic chance to win, but counting Villanova out would be foolish.

[scoscox]

https://youtu.be/NtqaamCfK7o?t=27

i imagine, in this moment, as he gets dunked on, Bryan Antoine is thinking, "this kid will be physically overmatched"



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvnfDIJkWTM

"is he athletic enough to hang with collin gillespie, though?"

[Novachap]

It is good the Freemantle got a taste of what life will be like in the future of VU vs X at the NJ states.... not quite good enough.


it's all about the W's Scoscox... all about the W's. pretty dunks are pretty, but as you are (or at least should be with your Jesuit education), we will crush you, as always from 3.... it is inevitable.

[scoscox]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eUqnD4BrAc

freemantle will stuff him in a locker